Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what legislative plans her Department has for requiring coroners to determine secondary causes of death following suicide.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has no plans to change the information which coroners are required to determine, with regard to cause of death in cases of suicide.

The information recorded by the coroner in the Record of Inquest is dependent on the circumstances of the individual case and is at the coroner’s discretion as an independent judicial office holder. Any medical conditions mentioned in part 2 of the Record of Inquest must be known or suspected to have contributed to the death, and not simply be other conditions which were present at the time of death.

With regard to the possible motivation for, or contributory factors in, a suicide, it cannot be guaranteed that consistent and comprehensive information on a deceased person’s background will be made available to the coroner in every case. In addition, expecting coroners to routinely assess the motivation for individual suicides would take the coronial role fundamentally beyond its legal parameters, which are to determine who has died, and how, when and where they died.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade of the potential merits of applying the same level of (a) import duties, (b) VAT on (i) import and (ii) end sales, (c) corporation tax and (d) other taxes to (A) domestic manufacturers and (B) international manufacturers who export goods into UK markets.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is clear that all businesses, whether based in the UK or overseas, should pay their fair share of taxes where they operate in the UK

We will continue to keep the UK’s Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule, known as the UK Global Tariff, under review to reduce unnecessary costs and promote a stable operating environment for businesses.

UK VAT is charged at the same rate regardless of whether goods are produced domestically or imported.

The Government has also taken significant steps to ensure that the amount of Corporation Tax companies pay in the UK on their profits reflects the economic activities they undertake here. For instance, the Corporate Interest Restriction rules prevent multinationals from avoiding tax by using contrived financing arrangements to make excessive interest deductions.

The introduction of a global minimum corporate tax will protect against aggressive tax planning and profit shifting, helping ensure profits made in the UK are taxed in the UK.

Found: Bayo Alaba; Zöe Franklin; Mr James Frith; Damian Hinds; Dr Rupa Huq; Natasha Irons; Liz Jarvis; Tom Rutland

Found: Bayo Alaba; Zöe Franklin; Mr James Frith; Damian Hinds; Dr Rupa Huq; Natasha Irons; Liz Jarvis; Tom Rutland

Found: Bayo Alaba; Zöe Franklin; Mr James Frith; Damian Hinds; Dr Rupa Huq; Natasha Irons; Liz Jarvis; Tom Rutland